Inorganic particles hydrophobized with fluorosilanes have been used to impart hydrophobic as well as oleophobic properties as exemplified by U.S. Patent Application, US2006/0222815, filed by Oles et al. which teaches making such hydrophobized particles by the covalent bonding (i.e. grafting) of fluorosilanes upon the surface of inorganic particles (e.g. silica). The fluorosilanes employed by Oles et al. consist of a silicon atom having four bonds, three of which are direct bonds to hydrolysable groups which can react with the surface of an inorganic particle thereby covalently bonding the fluorosilane to particle. The remaining bond is a direct bond from the silicon atom to a perfluoroalkyl group.
Despite the advances of Oles et al., it would be desirable to discover hydrophobized inorganic particles having improved ability to impart hydrophobic as well as oleophobic properties.